March 3. Rock Castle Gorge. 10.8 miles; off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Rocky Knob Campground. This was the first time we've done this hike clockwise, heading down the steeper section (beginning northward in parallel to the parkway for a short distance before turning eastward and down down down) first. The walk is a great one no matter the direction, and on this cool day we traded notes on which is best with several sets of hikers walking in the opposite direction; all agreed the climb to the parkway at the south end is the easier. We're now in a position to agree fully. The thing that makes this hike so good--as a sort of Virginia sampler of meadows, woods, streamside and more--was in full pre-flower this day.
March 10. The Appalachian Trail from Va. 620 north to Dragon's Tooth and back. 9.0 miles. The Greatest Day Hiker Of Them All and I agree that there is no way to prepare for the elongated feel of the "back way" to Dragon's Tooth. The AT climbs strongly from the creek at 620, and at some point the ridge that culminates at Dragon's Tooth comes into view, off to the right, appearing somewhat distant, but not terribly so. But then, after the trail takes its right turn to ascend onto that ridge, you encounter what seems to be an unending number of False Teeth--rises to rocky promontories that all, as you climb, appear the be The Real Tooth. It's certainly not an unpleasant hike, but it is one that teases you again and again before delivering. At the lunch spot near Dragon's Tooth, we ran into friends/colleagues Steve McGonigal and Jo Diedrich, accompanied by long-ago neighbor Dee Dudley. Side note to this hike, on a change in perspective from The Day Hiker: the first time we drove in this way to make the climb--which includes fording a stream in the car--she was near-panicked with the flow of the stream. On this day, while I was relishing in driving across a stream, her full attention was out the window to the banks, looking for skunk cabbage specimens.
March 18. The Appalachian Trail from Va. 311 to Campbell Shelter and back. 9.0 miles. An unusually orchestrated hike, with sons Adam and David leaving home at the same time and driving to the base of the Andy Layne Trail for an 8.5-mile (mostly) run while Gail and I, out of the car a bit sooner and on our way on a 4.5-mile walk, were charged with reaching Campbell ahead of the runners to build a fire on a distinctly cold and windy day. We hustled it done in an hour and 40 minutes, built a strong fire and had to worry about burning up all the readily available deadfall before the runners pulled in--some 45 minutes after The Day Hiker and I arrived. Lunch was full of traded boasts about speed and challenge, through Campbell Shelter maintained its reputation with our family as the coldest shelter in the region. Adam, Carl and I had spent an even colder lunch there in '99, with snow blowing around us as we jumped and stomped. On this day, we stood around the fire till it burned to coals and all walked back down to 311.
March 25. Andy Layne Trail from Va. 779 to the AT to Tinker Cliffs and back. 7.2 miles. It finally turned to spring for The Day Hiker, as our pace was slowed by the reappearance of the wildflowers, as she rejoiced in the sighting of . . . let me quote her here . . . Bloodroot, Cut-Leaved Toothwort, Trout Lily (or Fawn Lily), Skunk Cabbage. Which meant I had to undergo the quiz most of the way up the trail, on which I did worse than usual, though I do think I have the Trout Lily down now. Lunch, as nearly always on this hike, was on the precipice of Tinker Cliffs, where the Appalachian Trail takes you out onto them to make sure you get to drink in that wonderful view onto the Catawba Valley.
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